


peas in a pod

by whiplash



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Aaron Just Wants To Eat His Tea In Peace And Quiet, Domestic Fluff, Liv Hates Peas, M/M, Robert Loves Stirring Shit Up, Siblings, Slice of Life, Top Gear Re-Runs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-11 00:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7867327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiplash/pseuds/whiplash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Aaron's not eating his peas either,” she points out, not at all bothered about dropping her brother in it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	peas in a pod

“Saving the best for last?”

Liv glances up from her tea to find Robert smirking down at her. At her confusion, he nods towards her plate where she's pushed all her peas into a small hill far away from the rest of the food. 

“I hate peas,” she informs him, filling her mouth with mash instead. It's her brother's turn to cook so it's straight out of a box and a bit lumpy. Still, it's miles better than peas and she dares, she flipping dares, Robert to tell her off for not eating her vegetables. At times like these, it's like he thinks she's a toddler or something. 

“Ah,” he says now, “sort of how you hate carrots, and broccoli, and-” 

She narrows her eyes at him and imagines stabbing him with her fork. Then she imagines her brother's sad puppy dog face and relaxes her grip on the cutlery. Looking over at said brother, hoping that he'll speak up for her, she finds him herding a couple of his own peas into a puddle of gravy. Something in his face – maybe the glint in his eyes, or the twist of his lips – suggests that he's about to leave them to drown. 

“Aaron's not eating his peas either,” she points out, not at all bothered about dropping her brother in it. After all, it's not like he'd been rushing to her rescue just now. Robert doesn't even bother glancing over at Aaron's plate, though. Instead, he looks smug, as if she just stepped straight into his trap. 

“He's not,” he agrees, sounding all pleasant and agreeable and not at all like the gleeful puppet master that she knows him to be. “And look at him.” 

At that, her brother finally reacts. 

“Oi,” he says. “What's wrong with me then?” 

“Nothing much,” Robert assures him. “You're just a bit on the, ehm, short side, aren't you?” 

Aaron straightens up from his slouch, an outraged look on his face. 

“You have an inch on me,” he splutters. “If that.” 

Robert makes a doubtful noise as Liv, discreetly, tries her hand at a comparison. She wants to be on her brother's side on this, she really does, but Robert sure seems taller. Though that could well have to do with his attitude, couldn't it? She considers the possibility, chewing thoughtfully on a slice of sausage while Robert and Aaron continue bickering. 

“Just because I don't walk around like I have an iron rod shoved up my-” 

“It's called good posture,” Robert interrupts, his eyes glittering with amusement. “You might try it some time.” 

“Oh, I'll-” 

Just what Aaron will do remains a mystery as the door opens. 

“If I had known that tea came with a show, I might have joined you,” Chas says by way of greeting. “Aaron, love, can you come help me with the barrels when you're done.” 

“I'll be down soon,” Aaron assures her, giving Robert a surely look before returning his attention to his plate. He spears a bit of sausage and bites into it with such vindictiveness that Liv figures that Robert ought to be worried. After all, her brother's been known to carry a grudge. Robert doesn't act like someone who's worried, though. He doesn't act like he's about to drop it either because now he shifts in his chair, turning to Chas with a sincere look on his face. 

“I'm just telling Liv,” he says, “that if she doesn't start eating her veg, she'll end up a little runt. Just like her-” 

After that, things get very loud. 

xxx 

Come bedtime, Aaron's still acting butthurt. 

Robert's escaped down the stairs and, last she saw him, he sat nursing a pint to avoid her brother cold-shouldering his every attempt to make up. As amusing as it all started out, it's starting to get on Liv's nerves. So she sits down next to Aaron and digs her toes into his thigh, having to poke quite hard before he reluctantly tears his eyes away from some old re-run of Top Gear. When she finally has his attention she makes sure to let him know just what she thinks of him. 

“Butthurt?” he echoes, acting like he's never even heard of the internet. Which she knows he has, if for no other reason than the fact that he's a bloke and roughly ninety-five percent of the internet is dedicated to stuff like dick pics. 

“Yeah,” she explains, speaking slowly. “It means you're being a sulky Sally.” 

“Sulky Sally?” he repeats, screwing up his face in that stupid way of his which makes it clear that he thinks he's being hilarious. She grabs a pillow and slams him in the face with it a few times before he manages to wrestle it away from her and pin her to the sofa. It doesn't take more than a pout for him to let her go though, his hands gentle as he sits her back up again. He's soft like that, her brother. Which is why she has to give him a push in the right direction. 

“Robert was just messing with you,” she explains. 

“I know that,” Aaron claims. He sounds grumpy. Like he's definitely still holding a grudge. 

“You're not that short,” she tries, only for him to frown at her. “And even if you were, well, Chas isn't that tall either, is she? You probably take after her. That's not a bad thing, is it?” 

Aaron huffs. Then he smirks, letting his eyes wander over her. 

“What's your excuse then?” he asks. 

xxx 

She's made a habit out of sleeping with her headphones covering her ears. The walls are too thin and her brother's bed too creaky for anything else to be much of a choice. Tonight, however, she makes a bit of an exception. And it's not eavesdropping. Not really. Or, well, if it is, at least it's for a good cause. Just to makes sure that her knucklehead brother and his idiot boyfriend stay on track. 

“A runt, am I?” she hears her brother ask. It's hard to tell, what with the wall muffling the sound, but there's something soft about his voice. Something which suggests that maybe, after all, they're not about to have a domestic. 

“My runt,” Robert says, because apparently shit stirring is just a thing he does, like breathing or blinking. “And I wouldn't have you any other way.” 

“That so?” 

Aaron sounds amused. Maybe even a little bit fond. 

“Sure,” Robert assures him. “After all, someone has to be the little spoon, right?” 

Then he yelps. There's a thump – the all too familiar sound of Aaron's bedframe knocking against the wall – and then someone giggles. The mattress creaks dangerously. 

Making a gagging noise, Liv reaches for her headphones. Next time, she'll just eat those bloody peas.

**Author's Note:**

> I just love these three together <3


End file.
